Method of carbonizing fuel briquettes



n 14 1927. e E. B. A. ZWOYER METHOD OF CARBONIZING FUEL BRIQUETTES Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESS ,9. WWW

I ATTORNEYS June 14 1927. 1 632 052 E. B. A. ZWOYER METHODOF CARBONIZING FUEL BBIQUETTES Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS INVENTOR fmmw A TTORNE VS I Patented June 14, 1927.

UNITED STATES PA TENT OFFlCE.

EEO NORTH B. A. zwom OI TEETH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL FUEL BBIQUIT'II CODE, 01' NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

union or 'cmomzme rum. Bmeon'rrns.

Application fled February 8, 1923. Serial No. 617,963.

My invention relates to the art of carbonizing fuel briquettes. Briquettes of the class in question are generally made by combining comminuted solid fuels w1th a proportion of binding material usually in 1i uid form and ressing the mixture in suitable fmolds. uch briquettes, for instance, have asphalt or coal tar pitch or sumlar hydrocarbons as binders and are sub ect to the criticism that upon ignition a varying quantity of smoke is produced. In cases where soluble binders such as starch, sulfite liquor, gluten and the like are used, smoke and vapor are also produced upon ignition '15 and, in addition, thel briquettes thus made are incapable ofbeing stored outdoors for the reason that the binder is soluble in water and such briquettes are accordingly destroyed when exposed to rain. It has been found that after having been pressed, the

exposure of such bri uettes to properly regulated heat has the e ect of drawing out the moisture and transforming the normally soluble in moisture and smokeless in combustion. When properly carbonized briquettes so formed are excellent as they store well, kindle easily and burn evenly without the production of any nuisance smoke.

Although such a result has been known for some time where conditions are correct, it has heretofore been found extremely dif ficult to realize these conditions in commercial practice. The customary method of carbonization consists 'of transporting the briquettes bymeans of a travelling belt or other conveyor through a heated zone to effect carbonization. The disadvantages of this method consists in over-carbonization on the one hand wherein the binder is partially destroyed by the heat and the briquettes thus rendered weak and impossible of transportation and under carbonization on the other hand in which case the briquettes are still smoky. and not water-proof. The object of the present invention is to overcome. these difliculties and disadvantages and to provide a novel method whereby the'briquettes receive-approximately equal heat treatments and are carbonized to a uniform and eflicient degree. The invention will be fully described hereinafter. In the accompanying drawings which show an example of my novel apparatus for soluble binder into a product which is incarr ing but the method without defining the imits of the invention, Fig. 1 is an elevation; Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the lines 22 and3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;-Fig. 5 is an end view and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views.

In carrying out the method the briquettes, after having been produced and pressed in an customary and well known way, are uni ormly divided into as thin a layer as possible and passed or conveyed through a heated zone and during their travel through said zone are manipulated, in

such a manner that all of the briquettes receive an approximately equivalent heat treatment, the heating agent such as hot gases being evenly distributed so as to be most effective throughout the period of treatment. In the preferred form the briquettes are given a minimum of motion among themselves, or in other words are slightly agitated, for instance by being slowly and carefully tumbled, as they pass through said heated zone so as to successively expose all portions ofeach briquette to the effects of the heating agent, the relative motion being so regulated as to be insufiicient v to weaken said briquettes or to otherwise injure the same. In order to secure the best results the temperature of the heating agent should remain-constant at a predetermined point and the travel of the briquettes throughthe heated zone should take place in a predetermined period of time; for instance, briquettes weighing two ounces each should be exposed evenly to a temperature of about 600 F. for a period of about twenty minutes. A materially higher temperature, as, for instance 7 50? F., for such a perlod of time would mean over-exposure and a weak and useless product while a temperature of considerably lesser degree, as, or instance, 500 F., for the same period of time would be insuiiicient to properly carboniz the same and to remove the smoke nuisance or waterproof said briquettes; causing the briquettes to travel through a heated zone of the indicated temperature for a materially greater or lesser period of time than-that-indicated, would also result in. a deficient product. The temperature conditions and the period of time re uired for exposureto the heating agent wil de-;

pend upon the size and weight of the briuettes and will always hear a certain relation thereto. 1

The method may be carried out with any.

about the central shaft 10 as shown 1n Figs.

2 and 3 and each preferably comprising light pipes of suitable material which constitute a heating zone as will appear more fully hereinafter. The nest of drums 13 are fitted on opposite ends to heads 14 and 14 which comrise part of the previously mentioned members 11 and which, as shown in Fig. 1, may be provided with recesses 14 into which the ends of said drums extend; in the preferred arangement the drums 13 are slightly shorter than the central shaft 10 and fit loosely into the recesses 14". This difference in the length of the drums 13 and the shaft 10 is sufficient to. take up any expansion which may occur when the apparatus is in operation and prevents damage or injur thereto; this allowance for expansion and contraction is important and increases the eificiency of the apparatus for its intended purposes. The heads 14 and 14 further have separate interior chambers 14 and 14 respective1y,

which individually communicate with the drums 13 andvwith inlet openings 15 and outlet openings 15, respectively. The head 14 is further provided with a plurality of inletopenings 16 located in spaced relation upon the periphery of said head in communication with the chambers 14 thereof. A

stationary strap 17 surrounds the periphery of the head 14 in surface en agement therewith and isprovided wi h an inlet 18 through which the material ma be introduced into the apparatus; this in et 18 is arranged to register successively with the openings 16 to permit the introduction of the fuel briquettes into the several drums. The head 14 is similarly provided with a plurality of outlet apertures 16" spaced in a circumferential direction and adapted to register successively with an outlet chute 19 carried by a stationary stra 20 which surrounds the head 14 in sur ace engagement therewith as shown in Fig. 1, to permit the discharge of the carbonized briquettes" from the apparatus. End pieces 21 and 22 are fixed upon the heads 14 and 14 and are respectively provided with an inlet 21 for the heating agent and an outlet 22" for the escape of such heating agent after the latter has passed lengthwise through the drums 13. The straps 17 and 20 may be fixed against movement in any convenient manner as, for instance, by securing the angles whereby the straps are held together in stationary brackets 17 and 20 respectively located upon suitable parts of the apparatus.

The apparatus is rotatably supported by means 0 circumferential rails 23 provided upon the heads 14 and 14 and travelling upon bearing rollers 24; in the preferred arrangement the apparatus is supported in such a manner that the drums l3 incline downwardly toward their exit ends to a slight degree, which is calculated in proportion to the length of the apparatus and the predetermined period of time to be taken y the briquettes in their passage through the apparatus. Q

In practice a suitable heatin agent such as, for instance, gases direct from a suitable furnace, are passed into the apparatus through theinlet 21 and into the end member 21 by which they are distributed and caused to enter through the inlet openings 15 into the several drums 13; after travelling lengthwise of the latter the heating agent or specifically the hot gases pass out through the outlet openings 15into the end member 22 and out through the exit opening 22 thereof. When the interior tem erature of the drums has reached the pre etermlned point the apparatus is set in motion and is revolved slowly by suitable power transmitted to and through the trunnions 4 12 thereby causing the nest of drums to turn upon the rollers 24 in a circular path about the central shaft 10. The fuel briquettes are then introduced into the inlet 18 and pass into thechambers 14 oft-he head 14 as the openings 16 of said head successively come into registry with the inlet 18. From the chambers 14 the fuel briquettes pass into the respective drums 13 and travel lengthwise thereof and finally pass into the same and continue on either to cooling mem- 3 here or into storage, in accordance with existing conditions. Durin the travel lengthwise of the drums 13 t e briquettes come into actual contact with the heating agent such as furnace gases and meet said gases at r the hi hest temperature, the effect of which is toarm a protective shell or skin upon the exterior of each briquette whereby it is protected from disintegration as the opera.-

ation of carbonizing proceeds. With the rotation of the apparatus in the described manner the briquettes turn gently each in its own drum and are carefully tumbled about so as to constantly present a new surtreatment as every'other briquette. In the preferred arrangement the heating agent, such as exhaust gases, is under thermostatical control so as to be held substantially constant at the preferred carbonizing temperature. In the apparatus the briquettes are divided into thin layers and slightly agitated, the hot gases being meanwhile distributed-in such a manner that a predeter mined uniform temperature is maintained throughout the entire apparatus, which is thus of maximum efliciency in every part.

' thereof.

As previously stated the novel method carbonizes the briquettes in an efficient and uniform manner and subjects all to an approximately equivalent heat treatment thus producing a product which is homogeneous and most satisfactory from a commercial standpoint. The method overcomes the disadvantages of existing methods in which the -briquettes either lie upon a belt or are packed in carriers; in these existing methods the briquettes on the surface of the pile are frequently over-carbonized while those at the bottom are under-carbonized, due to the fact that from the very nature of the process theyreceive different temperatures during their passage through the heat zone. The possibility of over or under-carbonization is entirely overcome with the pressing method and the .apparatus for carrying out the same.

Various changes may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. The method of treating fuel briquettes containing a normally soluble binder which consists in passing the briquettes through a zone heated to a predetermined degree sufficient to transform said normally soluble binder into a product insoluble in moisture and smokeless in combustion, and slowly moving said briquettes relatively to each other during the travel through said zone, in a manner to subject all parts of all of said briquettes to an approximately equivalent heat treatment and controlling said relative movement to avoid the development of impact forces sufficient-to weaken the briquettes during said treatment.

2. The method of treating fuel briquettes containing a normally soluble binder which consists in passing the briquettes in a period of time sufiicient to complete'the treatment through a zone heated to apredetermined degree suflicient to transform said normally soluble binder into a product insoluble in moisture and smokeless in combustion, and slowly moving said briquettes relatively to each other during their travel through said zone, in a manner to subject all parts of all of said briquettes to an approximately equivalent heat treatment and controlling said relative movement to avoid the development of impact forces suflicient to weaken the briquettes during said treatment.

3. The method of treating fuel briquettes containing a jnormally soluble binder which consists in passing the briquettes for a period of about twenty minutes through a zone heated to a temperature of 600 F. to transform said normally soluble binder into a product insoluble in moisture and smokeless in combustion, tumbling said bri uettes about during their travel through sai zone whereby all parts of all of said briquettes are subjected to an equivalent heat treat; ment, and controlling the tumbling in a manner to avoid the developmentof impact forces sufficient to weaken said briquettes during said treatment.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

. ELLSWORTH B. A. ZWOYER. 

